The Unknown God/Goddess

School Party

August's P.O.V

"No one's been attacking lately. Seems pretty suspicious to me." Pharsa wanders around the living room with a new phone in her hand. 

Sarah had told Pharsa to buy a phone as well as that would be their medium in communicating. Pharsa thought there wasn't a requirement when it comes to getting one. When Pharsa heard from me that it involved money, her hands were immediately in front of me, ready to receive money. She was so shameless about it I just can't say 'no'. Of course, she decided to buy the same one as Sarah. 

She told Sarah without hesitating that she wants Sarah to help her navigate through the electronic device. She was openly flirting but Sarah was too dense. 

"I think I should be training." she took her attention off of her phone and directed it towards me. 

"You want to spar with me?" 

The suggestion isn't bad. I think I could learn a think or two. Plus, the place is in our favor. This is just a small town. There are a lot of places that we can train without harming anyone. Or we can just put up a celestial barrier so we can go all out. I almost forgot about that. I should remember that whenever someone is coming at me, so no damage will get done. 

"Sure, but aren't you busy with Sarah?" she clicks her tongue, remembering that she was really busy. 

"You're right. I can insert you in." 

"That makes it sound like I mean so little to you." she scoffs but that was it. She turned back to her phone and started slowly typing away. 

I haven't even touched mine since the date. I wonder if Rafaela remembers? Nah, I don't think I need that thing anymore. I can teleport myself anywhere, but what if I really need to go somewhere that I haven't visited once? That would be a pain. 

I guess I do need one. I should buy another phone again, I'll give that one to Rafaela. 

"There's a party this Friday." she says, not looking at me. She occupied herself with scrolling. 

"Hmm, I don't think I want to go." 

"Really? The trio seems to be good at partying." 

Right. I remember Rafaela saying something similar. Should I? But it will get crowded again. 

"Do you want to go? It'd get crowdy." 

"I'm training myself." 

"Huh, or you're sacrificing your-"

"Oh, shut up."

"Okay, okay. Well, have fun." 

Suddenly, I remember my talk with Pharsa about my darkness. 

"Pharsa,"

"You seem needy." I ignored her comment and continued. 

"You're part white and black." 

She takes her eyes off of her phone and sets it aside. She stares at our blank television, keeping quiet. 

"And?" 

"Did it occur to you that we're twins? I mean, you weren't really that shocked when I told you I could wield darkness." 

She turned quiet again. Her stillness made me question if she knows something. Her unresponsiveness deems something that she knows but doesn't want to tell me. She brought her legs up and hugs them loosely. 

"No, it didn't." the prolonged silence was finally severed. Her response came out slow and pending. Her eyes remained looking at one place.

I sigh. 

"You obviously know something. Tell me, what will it take for you to tell me?" 

"Nothing. I'm going to tell you this anyway." 

"What do you mean?" 

She turns to me, expressionless. The old stoic Pharsa was back again, serious.

"I waited until you discovered this yourself, but then again, I didn't know what they meant until you showed me you could wield darkness." 

They? Who did she mean? 

"They?" I decided to ask nonetheless. The thrill was nothing but annoying to me. 

Scraps of truth is being laid out in front of me and I can't demand for the whole thing. I can't force it out of Pharsa too, she's my only ally. 

"Zeus and father." 

"They were talking about me?" she nods her head sternly, like a warning for me to be prepared.

"Remember when you told me to come home?" 

"Yeah? What about it?" 

My stomach began feeling anxious. My gut told me to shut my ears and not listen because that would surely ruin my day. It was telling me to not unveil the truth. Again, a battle commenced inside me, between black and white. 

"Before I talked to father about it, I saw Zeus and him talking."

"Your daughter seems to like the human world." Zeus said with a little bit of bitter laughter at the mention of the human world. 

"She does, and I think she's vital for Agnostos' process. What about Agnostos? How is she doing so far?" 

"She will realize what she is soon, but I have a feeling that she will come for questions." 

"Of course she will. Her very existence is both a blessing and a curse. A mixed kind of hybrid." 

"She will soon know. I shall talk to you once everything in Olympus is a little settled." 

"Alright." 

"A blessing and a curse? What am I? Mixed hybrid? What the heck?" 

Those words entered my mind without definitions. They were words that I know but not acknowledged. The more I hear, the more I'm confused. So father was really hiding something from me. So I'm not a deity? Then what am I? How did I come to this world? Why did he chose to birth an offspring like me? He purposely didn't tell me about mother because he was afraid that would ruin me? 

Then who is my mother? No, I think I'm part deity? They did talk about me being a blessing. Then what about the curse? I don't think they were referring to humans. We have terms for that; demigod. Humans aren't curses. In fact, there are a lot of demigods that are quite useful and powerful. 

My head started to ache as I dig deeper and deeper of my origin. Thinking of every little possible thing. What else did I not think of yet? I'll be sure to think of that later. 

"Don't push yourself too hard." 

I clench my jaw, hating the feeling of not knowing. Should I go to father now? No. Recklessness isn't favored. I should wait patiently and painfully. He knows I'll look for him for answers. I think he knows almost everything. Is that why he decided to let me do everything I want, including coming here? He knows I'm not feeling fully welcomed in Olympus? 

"I want to know everything. It's me and I don't even know what they're talking about." Pharsa pats my shoulder gently, calming my nerves down. It was working. 

It calmed my anxiety but my mind still races to the ends of the earth just to look for connections. My hands, one is light and one is dark. How are both living inside me at the same time when it's supernaturally impossible? 

"You know, I had to struggle about which side I should lean on more." 

Pharsa starts talking. The very topic that would edge her apart. It was the most sensitive topic about her that she would rather forget, but she's talking to me, she wants to talk to me, for me to listen to what she has to say. Normally, I wouldn't listen since my crisis are always loud inside my head, but this time, I wanted to listen. I wanted to shut  the f**k up and give her my whole attention. 

"..." 

"Azrael, he, he told me that whichever side I wanted, I could have." 

She turns to me, her smile unwavering. She doesn't feel any ounce of sadness in her anymore, unlike the first time she tried to tell me this story. She didn't even finish the second sentence when she gave up and ran away. It was like that for quite a while. She tried two times and this is her third. Maybe when they said the third time was the luckiest was right. 

Pharsa looked like she was satisfied with what she had done; what she had picked. 

"I leaned on my light side, because that meant life, that meant good. No one wanted to associate themselves with the darkness. But when I did and went, no one wanted me. No one befriended me." 

I heard about that time. That time, I was still locked up in my own room. Father had a reason for locking me there. I had just got a hold of my abilities and he was afraid that I couldn't control them all at once. It was a burst of abilities that I couldn't control all of them at the same time. 

"I went back to the Underworld, hated myself for being who I am, and that meant hating my origin. As time went by, I decided and gradually became like my darker side. I felt at home, naked and free." 

That was what I felt when I embraced the day that I could yield darkness. It felt home, like she said. It was calming and I felt free. 

"At that time, I embraced my darkness before I could embrace my light. It was a small step but it helped me not give a f**k about what others say. Plus," she giggles, pausing for a bit.

"I got to be the first one to claim you." 

"Aha," 

She was right. She was the first to claim me. In other words, we lost our virginities to each other. I didn't regret it. She looked so delicious at that time. We happened to meet after a feast since both of our parents were invited. We snuck out, made out and decided it was probably best to give each other our first times. 

After our first time, came another time and then they went back to the Underworld. It wasn't a secret that we were sleeping with each other. 

"The other goddesses hated me more for taking their Prince first. Man, that was nice." 

"You sure are sadistic."

When Pharsa and Hades went home, the others immediately lined up to my door for 'their serving'.  I had no choice but to give it to them, after all, I'm always locked up in my own room. I had no other things to do other than enhance my abilities and sleep with goddesses that offer themselves to me. 

"They had it coming."

"Ha, true." 

She stands up and stretches her legs. She twists her waist and torso to me. 

"Prepare to embrace something unexpected, and you'll find it easy to accept it when it comes." a smile emerged from my lips.

She sounded mature and wise, like a big sister. The anxiety inside me, the overthinking as well, had gone already. She managed to eradicate them off. I feel at ease. 

"Thanks," 

"Pshh, man up and do your own thing. I'm going out." 

The next few days, I wasn't that scared anymore. I played with my own darkness and did little tricks with them. It felt fun. I took her advice and implanted it in my heart. It wasn't that hard, really. I think when the truth will come, I'll be ready for it. 

I'm quite sad that Pharsa had to deal with that. With her childhood being that brutal and harsh, I don't think anyone can blame her trust issues. She's been bullied her entire childhood, I think she deserves rest and enjoyment. 

I'm glad I met Pharsa. If it wasn't for her, I think I might be losing myself already. Rafaela can't help me with this, she's a human. A wonderful human being living in a simple world of unjust politics. 

"Hey, you going to the party?" speaking of Rafaela, she takes a seat beside me with her lunch tray on her hands. 

She places her lunch tray on the table and turned to me with another bright smile brought by another day. Pharsa had already asked me to come, and the repetition of the question made her head turn to me. Since our little group date, Pharsa was officially invited to eat with us every lunch. 

The guys weren't happy about it because they won't have someone to mess with every after lunch. Pharsa had already turned a new leaf, a leaf of beginning. And I'm happy for her. 

"Sorry, I don't think I want to go." I sheepishly say. 

"Whaaat? Why?" she whines. 

"Yeah, man. It's going to be a blast." Earl mimicked an explosion with his hands and mouth. 

"I just don't feel parties." 

"We shouldn't force her to come." Sarah says. 

"Oh, come on, for me?" 

Rafaela gives me the puppy eyes, making it hard to say 'no'. She's using her beautiful eyes to corner me and it was working. 

"Ugh, fine." 

"Yey," Rafaela cheers and eats her lunch happily. 

I could only prepare myself for Friday night.

The dreaded night had come and I was already feeling bad. The thought of many people in a small room, with ear busting music was unsettling. The alcohol that I despise so much, makes me sick too, even from just the smell and cigarettes. I've seen students smoking near the school before. Imagine me smelling those smokes, ugh, it irks me, truly. 

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Pharsa's concerned voice came from behind me. I didn't need to turn around to see if she's with Sarah or not since I don't sense Sarah's presence. 

"If, if you can't find me beside Rafaela, then I'm outside, backyard, probably dizzy and puking so please come and get me before I make the world shut up regrettably?" Pharsa sighs. 

"Like I said before, don't push yourself too hard." 

"Look at you, you're not even that used to it too, I don't expect you to really help me escape from here." 

"Watch me." 

Rafaela and the others came, greeting us 'good evening'. They all looked so prepared for what this night might come. Aside from everything in the human world, I think things like these are not my cup of tea. It's so hard to like these things. I'm more into peaceful moments and gatherings but naughty s*x is a requirement for me. 

"Let's go inside!" 

The music was already blaring from here. My ear drums hurt already and now we're invading enemy territory. Well, MY enemy territory. The more distance we close in, the more my heartbeat syncs with the loud bass. I felt like I'm being controlled.

The outside of the house smelled like booze already, which made me hold my breath as we approach the door. The moment I step in there will be the moment of my doom. I can't hold my breath for that long. I might as well just breathe underwater. 

I gulp. The uneasiness already creeping in. Some were already drunk, swaying their hips to the beat of the music. Some were yelling incomprehensible words due to the music. Some were making out while each holding bottles of vodkas. It hurt my eyes to see humans wasting their life force like this. 

But I'm no one to judge. I'm risking my life for freedom. Maybe this is their means of escape from their own cruel world. I shouldn't judge them. Each and every living being has their own fight to win. And this is mine; surviving this night without having to reject Rafaela's invitation of preceding parties. 

Please, don't make me hate parties. 

"Yeah!" the three of them shouted while Pharsa and I kept at their rear. 

We followed them as they get their drinks. One thing was for sure. If I just keep my eyes in one direction and focus on one thing, I might kill this. Yes, that's what I'm going to do. 

"Let's dance!" Rafaela shouted to me. 

"Ah, no! I'm good! You three dance!" I shouted back. It feels like my vocal chords are going to get ripped in this situation.

"Okay!" she didn't even hesitate and drag the other two with her. 

"I'm outta here!" Pharsa screams before going away. 

I clench my fists, keeping the uneasiness inside. I must look like I'm a creep. Looking so stiff in a room with loose and free people. I was the only one standing still in a moving room. 

I was ready to leave when someone tugged at my jacket. 

"Hey!" an unknown girl shouted at me. 

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, unsure of what she was approaching me for. 

She didn't smoke nor drink, which I was silently thanking her for. If she had did all those two, I would've immediately told her to get lost. I'm already at my wits end, I can't handle anymore. 

"Come with me!" she didn't give me time to respond, she just dragged me upstairs. 

It was quieter here and no other people. Huh. The student's parents must be very rich to afford sound-proof walls. I look around the well-lit place and was amazed at how beautifully constructed the place was. 

"I noticed how you didn't like the situation, like I did, and decided to drag you here. Sorry," her explanation didn't leave out any single information. 

"Thank you. I thought I almost died." 

"You're here because Rafaela asked you to, did she not?" 

I let myself sit on the floor and sighed. Ah, this is more like it. IF only Pharsa didn't go before this person dragged me here, we would be enjoying this together while waiting for the party to end. 

"How'd you know?" 

"No one can really resist Rafaela." she stated it like it was a known fact, but it is a fact. 

"Right. Excuse me for asking late, but who are you?" 

Her small figure was good on her baby face. She looked like a middle schooler but with high schoolers. She was cute. Her dimples on the side of her cheeks looked really adorable. 

"Layla, Layla Jones. Nice to meet you, Your Highness." 

"Woah, woah, woah." 

I immediately stand up and got ready for battle. But she laughed at me. 

"Don't worry. I'm not here to fight." 

"Then what are you here for?"

"I'm here for Pharsa." 

"Pharsa? Why?" 

"I'm her caretaker while she's here in the human realm. Hades asked me to do so." 

Ah, crap. 

"What are you?" 

"A vampire." 

"s**t. If you're a high tier demon then a higher tier of threat will come." 

"Bingo." 

"Ah, fuck."